Incubator-alarm.



H. V. FLICKINGER.

INCUBATOR ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN`.15, 19,16.

1,21 9,8 1 4. Patented Mar. 20, 1917. y j' Q3] L? Y* fr I i f2 .lllllmlHERSCHEL V. FLIGKINGER, OF BUCYRUS, OHIO.

INCUBATOR-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

Application led January 15, 1916. Serial No. 72,309.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HnuscHnL V. FLICK- INGER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bucyrus, in the county of Crawford and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incubator-Alarms, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention contemplates an improved electrical alarm for incubatorsand has as its primary object to provide a device of this characterwhich may be attached to any conventional type of incubator to cooperatewith lthe damper vregulating lever thereof and adapted to sound atpredetermined maximum and minimum temperatures within the incubator.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device of thischaracter employing a contact carrying member having spaced contactsmounted thereon adapted to selectively coperate with the damperregulating lever of the incubator for sounding the alarm and wherein thesaid member will be bodily movable to simultaneously adjust the saidcontact members relative to the said lever for regulating the instant ofcontact therebetween and consequently controlling the sounding of thealarm at various predetermined maximum and minimum temperaturesrespectively within the incubator.

A further object of the invention is to provide an arrangement whereineach of the said contact members may be independently adjusted upon thecontact carrying member and thus further regulate the instant of contactbetween the damper regulating lever and the said contact members.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device of thischaracter wherein the contact carrying member will be bodily adjustableto a position with the contact members thereof disposed in inoperativerelation to the regulating lever of the incubator to thus, in effect,provide a switch for rendering the alarm inoperative.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device ofthis character having means for holding the contact carrying member atadjustment relative to the throw of the regulating1 lever of theincubator and to also provide means for holding the said member atadjustment with the contact members thereof in operative or inoperativeposition with relation to the said lever.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds andin the drawings wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment ofthe invention and wherein similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved alarm showing the deviceapplied to a conventional type of incubator, the body of which is shownin section,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the contact carrying member of thealarm swung to a position with the contacts thereof disposed ininoperative relation relative to the regulating lever of the incubator,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view more particularly showing the constructionand mounting of the contact carrying members, this view being taken onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In order that the mounting and operation of my improved alarm may beclearly brought out, I have, in the drawings, shown my improved devicein connection with a conventional type of incubator 10, upon which ispivotally mounted a damper regulating lever 11. The lever 11 iscontrolled by a thermostat 12 in the usual manner and is provided, atits free extremity, with a damper 13 adapted to fit over the upper end Yof the lamp liuc 1&1-,

In carrying out my invention, I employ a bracket or post 15 which isprovided with a suitable base secured by screws or in any otherconvenient manner to one side of the incubator 10 adjacent the flue 14Cwith the said post projecting upwardly upon one side of the freeextremity of the damper regulating lever 11. lAdjustably mounted uponthe post 15 is a sleeve or collar 16 held at adjustment upon the post bya set screw 17.

Detachably connected to the post 15 is a contact carrying member whichincludes a bar or plate 1S to which is secured at a point intermediateits ends, a laterally projeeting binding post 19. The post 19 isapertured to freely receive the post 15 with the post 19 seating againstthe collar 1G to support the contact member vertically of the post 15.The post 19 is provided with a set screw 20 operable to engage the post15 for holding the contact carrying member fixed thereon.

Secured to the plate 18 upon opposite sides of the post 19, are similarbinding posts 21 and 22 respectively which project laterplete thecircuit.

ally from the said plate in a direction opposite to the post 19. rheposts 21 and 22 are apertured to adjustably receive the contact members23 and 24 respectively and are provided with set screws 25 and 26respectively, for holding the said contacts at adjustment. The contactmembers 23 and 24, at their inner extremities are provided withiaterallv directed terminals 27 and 2S respectively and are eachpreferably formed from a length of wire or other suitable material.

It will now be observed that the contact carrying member is supportedupon the bracket 15 in a vertical position with respect to the outer'extremity of the damper regulating lever 11 vwith the free end of thesaid lever adapted to be received between the terminals 2T and 23, ofthe contacts 23 and 24, as more particularly shown in Fig. 3. Detachablyconnected in any suitable manner, to the inner extremity of theregulating lever 11 is a wire 29 which leads to a battery or othersuitable conveniently located source of electrical energy. Leading fromthe bat tery is a wirel 30 which is connected to one terminal of asuitable alarm 31 and leadingfrom the other terminal of the alarm is awire 32 which is detachably connected in any suitable manner preferablyto the lower extremity of the plate 13 of the contact carrying member asclearly shown in Fig. 2, a binding post 33 being preferably connected tothe plate to receive the adjacent end of the saidwire.

Y V1t will now be seen that when the free extremity of the damperregulating lever' is moved upwardly to ventilate the incubator or reducethe temperature therein, the said lever is adapted to engage theterminal 27 of the contact member 23. Current will then iow from thebattery through the wire 29, through the lever to the said contactmember whence it will return through the wire 32 to the alarm 31 andthrough the said alarm and the wire 30 to the battery to com-Consequently the alarm will be automatically sounded at such time as thetemperature of the incubator reaches a maximum sufiicient to cause theregulating lever to be raised. After the lever has been so raised andthe temperature within the incubator is reduced, the free'V extremity ofthe damper regulating lever will move toward the flue 14 to close thersaid flue by the damper 13 and is adaptedto engage the terminal 28 oftheV contact 24. Current will then iiow from the battery through thewire 29 and through the said lever to the contact member' 24, and willthence return through the wire 32 to the alarm 31 and through the saidalarm and the wire 30 to the battery to complete the circuit.Consequently, the alarm will be automatically sounded at such time asthetemperature within the incubator reaches a minimum sullicient to causethe free extremity of the regulating lever to drop. 1t will therefore beseen that 1 provide a very simple and eiicient construction for thepurpose set forth, and a device which may be easily attached to and isadapted for 1G and attention is now directed to the fact that thiscollar is movable upon the bracket to bodily adjust the contact carryingmember vertically of the said bracket and consequently, simultaneouslyadjust the instant of contact between the regulating lever 11 and eachof the contacts 23 and 24 for controlling the sounding of the alarm atvarious predetermined maximum and minimum temperatures respectivelywithin the incubator. It will also be noted that the contacts 23 and 24may be independently adjusted relative to the regulating lever 11 bymeans of the set screws 25 and 26 respectively for effecting thisresult, so that after the contact carrying member has been adjusted uponthe bracket 15 in approximate coperative relation to the free extremityof the lever 11, the contacts 23 and 24 may then be further positionedto delicately adjust the said contact members to coperate with the saidlever at certain predetermined maximum and minimum temperaturesVrespectively within the incubator.

Under certain conditions, it may be found desirable to render the alarminoperative and for effecting this result, the contact carrying memberis swung about the bracket 15 to dispose the contacts 23 and 24 fromoperative position as shown in Fig. 3 to inoperative position upon oneside of the damper regulating lever 11 as shown in Fig. 2. In thisconnection, it will be noted that the set screw 2O provides means forholding the contact carrying member at adjustment in either theoperative position of thecontacts 23 and 24 relative to the regulatinglever 1l or in the inoperative position of the said contacts withrespect to the said lever. The contact carrying member thus, in effect,provides a switch for rendering the alarm inoperative, and the means byVwhich I effect this result is obviously simple and eflicient.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. The combination with' an incubator having a regulating lever, of abracket carried by the incubator, a contact carrying member slidablyconnected with the bracket and arranged to swing thereon, spacedcontacts carried by the said member to selectively coperate with thesaid lever for closing a circuit therethrough with the said contactsindependently adjustable for varying the instant of contact thereof Withthe said lever, means for holding the said contacts at adjustment, acollar mounted upon the bracket and swingingly supporting said Contactcarrying member With the said member adjustable to dispose the saidcontacts in inactive position With respect to the said lever, means forholding the said contact member at swinging adjustment, and means foradjusting the said collar upon the bracket to cooperate With the saidContact carrying member for simultaneously adjusting the said contactswith respect to the lever.

2. The combination with an incubator,- and an oscillating lever thereon,of a support carried by the incubator at one side of the plane ofoscillation of said lever, a member slidable longitudinally androtatable on said support, spaced contacts carried by said member andprojecting laterally therefrom, means for adjusting the memberlongitudinally of the support, and means for holding said member in anyposition of rotatable adjustment whereby said contacts may be moved intoor out of operative relation to said lever.

3. The combination with an incubator, and an oscillating lever thereon,of a support carried by the incubator at one side of the plane ofoscillation of said lever, a mem ber slidable longitudinally androtatable on said support, spaced contacts projecting laterally fromsaid member and adjustable thereon toward and away from each other,means for adjusting the member longitudinally on the support, and meansfor holding said member at any position of rotatable adjustment wherebysaid contacts may be moved into or out of operative relation to saidlever.

In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature.

HERSCHEL v. FLIGKINGER. [a s] Copies of this patent may be obtained foriive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. C.

